Densetsu no Hoshiko Sorano
by Rowen Inc
Summary: How far would you go to save the ones you love?
1. When Angels Fall

**Densetsu no Hoshiko Sorano**

The Legend of the Star of the Sky

**AN: I did not create the Ronin Warriors, however some new characters will popup throughout the story. This is not a Mary Sue…I repeat this is not a Mary Sue. The story starts off in Feudal Japan and then jumps forward to the future.**

Chapter 1: When Angels Fall

"Chiclaria forgive me!" Touma cried as he gently cradled the young woman in his arms and softly cried into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you from that monster. I deserve to die for my failure."

"Oh Touma," the young woman said as she gently touched his cheek with her small delicate hand and smiled as the young blue-haired man gently slipped his large warm hand over hers. "Don't blame yourself, you did all you could do."

"I know…it's just that I'll never see you again and you mean so much to me. I love you Chiclaria and I don't want you to leave me." Touma said softly as he gently ran his fingers through her long brown hair.

"Touma let me ask you something. Do you believe that you'll see me again when you die?" slowly he nodded his head as she smiled and put a hand to his cheek as he put his hand over hers. "Then we will see each other again and until that day I want you to live your life without any regrets. I'll be waiting for you, Touma. I love you. I love you all. Farewell."

As soon as she finished speaking, her body went limp in his arms. Slowly Touma bowed his head and let the tears run down his face, "Why'd you let this happen to her Reo? You knew she wasn't ready to confront such a monster."

"Chiclaria felt she was ready, besides our attacks weren't having any effect." Reo, a young man with wild black hair and blue eyes, said as he sadly watched his mourning friend.

"Touma has a good point, Ryo. It was our job to protect her and we failed. And now our own lives are forfeit as well because we failed to protect her!" A young blonde spoke angrily.

"Well I think she was ready, Seiji." Shu said as he stepped in front of Reo protectively.

"Will you all just knock it off and quit fighting already?" cried out an auburn haired young man in a stern tone as he tried to push the two boys apart. "There was nothing we could've done to save her and fighting about it will do nothing but cause more pain."

"You should listen to your friend…" a soft gentle voice spoke from behind them and they looked up in surprise as a man dressed in a monkish like outfit approached them. "There was nothing you could have done to save the girl's life, no matter what you may think. Poor Chiclaria she was our last hope."

"Who are you? How'd you know Chiclaria?" Touma asked as he stood to face the woman approaching them.

"I am Anubis, the High Priest of the Agaru Fushicho Temple. Chiclaria was a servant at the temple for a short time, before the dark war began." As she finished speaking, the woman knelt down by the fallen young woman and gently scooped the girl's body up in her arms.

"That must have been right before our clans sent us to protect her." Seiji said as the red-haired man continued speaking.

"Yes I knew that the five of you would be able to protect Chiclaria while I tried to make peace between the fighting clans. For even though she was just a servant, I soon came to realize the truth about her heritage… Chiclaria is actually a descendant of long forgotten Sacred Guardians who watch over all life in the universe. Now that the last of the guardians has died, there is only one thing left to be done." As he finished speaking, the High Priest stood with Chiclaria in his arms and held her up to the sky.

Slowly the girl's body began to light with a soft golden glow that intensified until the warmth of the glow consumed them then suddenly blew away with a strong gust of wind. When they opened their eyes, Chiclaria's body had disappeared from his arms.

"It is done, your friend lives again…Guardian Samurai." Anubis said as he looked back at the gaping young samurais.

"Then where is she? I…I…I don't see her anywhere." Touma asked as he looked pleadingly at the monk before him.

"I'm afraid she now must live in the future where she will be safe from the warring clans and the creatures and assassins they send after her." The monk said sadly as he stared at the setting sun and then the boys noticed that he was now semi-transparent. "But not without a price…I gave my soul's energy to the girl so that she could live again, and now my time with you grows short. Reo Sanada approach me."

"I'm here Anubis," Reo said as he stepped forward and knelt in front of the monk. "What do you wish of me?"

"Reo Sanada, you are to lead your friends in this mission: to find Chiclaria and take your place at her side as her protectors once more. From this day forward no longer will you be called "Reo" but "Ryo Sanada". Lead and protect your friends well for they will need you now more than ever. This is your mission, will you accept it?"

"Yes I will, I was supposed to protect Chiclaria and I failed. This time I will not make the same mistake again."

"Then arise Ryo Sanada. Now I call forth Seiji." Anubis said as Ryo stood off to his right.

"I am here to serve you." Seiji said as he bowed deeply before the priest then knelt down on one knee.

"Now you are to serve your Chiclaria and your friends as Sage Date: strategist and advisor." Anubis said in a gentle but firm voice. "May the Guardians watch over you, my young knight. "Shin step forth."

Slowly the young auburn haired young man stepped forward and bowed his head before the priest.

"Shin: wise, kind, and understanding…these gifts will surely help you keep your friends together during the rough times ahead." Anubis said warmly as he gently placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "As you bond with your friends so shall you bond with the chosen one and befriend her before they do. You shall do this as Cye Mouri, the protector. Shu come forth."

"I am ready to do my duty." The young man said solemnly as he stepped forward.

"Shu your physical strength is nothing when compared to the strength of your heart. Never forget that truth and it will become your greatest asset Kento Rei Faun."

"Thank you Anubis, I will remember." Kento said as he knelt before the priest with his hand on the ground.

"Touma to you falls the most difficult task, you must be prepared to meet a Chiclaria who may not know you. She may even be afraid of you, but I promise that she will come to trust you in time…despite her fears." Anubis said as he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Because you are a member of the Hideyoshi clan, the sworn enemy of the Tokugawa clan, now and forever more…you shall as Rowen Hashiba the strong one. Now it's time for you to begin your journey into the future to find Chiclaria…farewell Guardian Samurai." As he finished speaking, Anubis disappeared in a shower of lights.


	2. The Woman Without a Past

Chapter 2: The Woman without a Past

**Kokomo, Indiana June 6, 1999**

"Bye mom, I'm off to work! See ya later!" 18 year-old Kayla Marie Rodchester called out merrily as she ran out joyously to her car, stopping to turn around to wave to her mother. "Tell Cye I'll see him later." With that last remark, she climbed into her car and took off down the lonely country road.

It's so peaceful out here in the morning Kayla thought as she watched the beautiful country scenery passing by her. Suddenly a huge explosion broke the silence as its impact shook the ground around it, "Looks like I spoke to soon. Oh well, better go check it out."

This place is huge... Kayla thought to herself as she climbed into the meteor and began exploring it. Wait what's that? she pondered silently as her gaze fell upon a young woman who was lying at the bottom of the meteor.

I-it's a young woman… and she's been terribly hurt she thought in panic as she looked down and saw a shallow pool of blood that had surrounded the girl's body. I must help her slowly she knelt down by the girl's side and carefully slid her arms under the girl's body, stood up, and headed towards her car, wincing as the girl's broken bones shifted with her movement.

As soon as Kayla reached her car, she immediately threw open the back door and carefully laid the girl down on the seat, making sure she was comfortable before she shut the door, jumped in the driver's seat, and sped off towards the hospital where she worked.

"Will she be all right Dr. Thompson?" Kayla asked as the man in question led her down the hallway to the girl's room.

"The amount of damage her body sustained was severe, her internal organs were missing chunks and the internal bleeding was just as bad. But we managed to repair that damage by using a new and very radical procedure which involved replacing the missing pieces of her organs with an experimental kind of cyber-genetic muscle tissue, which is very high functioning and durable. We also used the same material to patch deep external wounds on her as well. Now I know may look strange but I assure you she is perfectly fine and she'll need you to help her through this."

"It won't be easy…" she sighed as she stared at the sleeping figure in her bed through the surveillance window.

"No one ever said it would be…but she needs you Kayla." Dr Thompson said as he gently put his hand on her shoulder.

Slowly Kayla opened the door and slid quietly into the room. As she did, the sleeping figure moaned softly and drew her curled up body into an even tighter ball. Unaffected by the girl's reaction, she walked across the room and prepared to gently shake her when the girl suddenly relaxed a little.

"Shin…"

Startled, Kayla instantly pulled her hand away from the sleeping girl and stared at her in awe. "She has the beauty of a goddess but the battle scars of a soldier. Just who is she?" she pondered out loud as she reached forward again and gently shook the girl who slowly and painfully rolled onto her back and turned her head to look for the source of the voice.

"Who…who are you? Where is Shin?" the girl asked as she stared at Kayla with fear shining in her large silver eyes.

"I'm Kayla Marie Rodchester and I'm here to take care of you."

"What happened to me?" she asked in a hoarse voice, her eyes never leaving Kayla's.

"You were in a terrible accident and the doctors here had to operate on you…to fix you. Do you remember anything about it?" she inquired as she stared at the girl who was struggling to pull herself into a sitting position, and then leaned over to help her.

"No I don't remember…" she said as she quietly bowed her head and looked away.

"Do you remember your friends?"

"Let me think for a moment…" she said as she leaned her forehead against the palm of her hand and furrowed her brow in concentration. "No nothing…I can't remember anything. Wait…wait a minute I…I can remember Shin."

"Shin, you mentioned him earlier. Who is he?"

"He's my brother…but I don't remember that much about him. We were separated from each other when we were very young." She said quietly as tears slowly began to well up in her eyes.

"I'm very sorry…" Kayla whispered as she looked down at the ground, unsure of what to say to the girl. "Um…could you tell me what he looked like? We might be able to find him if we know what he looks like."

"The last time I saw him he was six years old, he was very short and had sea-green eyes with strawberry blonde hair. He was very sweet and kind, and he loved the sea. Even though we're no longer together, I can feel him right by me…guiding and protecting me. I would know him if I saw him today."

"Do you remember anything else about your life?"

"No…I… I can't." Here the girl suddenly broke down sobbing as her body shook with her sobs. "I can't remember anything. I have no memories of my life until this point and to make things worse I'm a freak!"

"No you're not a freak!" Kayla said firmly as she put an arm around the sobbing young woman. "You just had to have some cyber-genetic muscle tissue put inside you to help fix you. If anything you'd be considered a cyborg, part human and part robot. I know things are looking grim right now, but don't worry it'll be all right, you'll see."

"Thank you Kayla." The girl said as she looked at the girl sitting beside her and smiled.


	3. The Search Begins

Chapter 3: The Search Begins

Dakota Roxann Wind-Song watched the dark starless night with growing concern. "The power of dark spirits' threatens this land…Can nothing be done to stop them?"

As the young Lakota princess pondered the fate of her people, a soft humming sound was heard as a huge white opaque orb suddenly appeared in the sky overhead. Slowly five smaller orbs emerged and clung to it for a moment before they were launched out in different directions.

Thunder and lightning danced in the sky overhead as the dark blue orb swiftly passed by the field and gently settled down on the outskirts. The wind sighed as a crack slowly split the orb into several pieces and crumbled away, revealing a young man in a white kimono with dark blue hair.

Suddenly it began to pour and the young man slowly opened his eyes and sat up. "Where…where am I? What happened to me?" As if to answer his question, a loud crackle of thunder was heard accompanied by a vision:

**Dreamy Sequence **

**KABOOM!!!**

The soldiers were scattered across the muddy battlefield. A young 16 year-old girl with light blue hair andsilvery eyes stood up amongst them wielding a bo-staff, she slowly walked toward the towering, twisted black mass with fierce determination.

"NO!!" a young 18 year-old boy clad in emerald-green armor cried out, arm outstretched.

"DON'T GO NOW!!" a second called out, wearing sky blue armor.

"WE NEED YOU!!" a third in dark blue armor cried out.

Slowly the young warrior turned to face them with a warm smile on her face. "Don't worry my friends. Where I go, the Tokugawa cannot reach me, or my powers. If I stay here, I would only endanger you all. I couldn't bear it if something were to happen to you, I can no longer let you risk your lives for mine. Be happy and free from this curse. You must now be strong my guardians…my friends. I love you all. Farewell!"

The five young boys watched in silent horror as she turned back around to face the darkness and raced towards it with a mighty war cry. For a few minutes, screams and battle cries could be heard. The young boys watched as their attacks were discharged. Then all of a sudden, everything was still, calm, and quiet.

"NO!! Chiclaria!!!" the warrior in dark blue armor cried out. As he tried to run to the spot where the black cloud once stood, the other four grabbed him and held him back.

"She had no choice," a young boy in yellowish-orange armor said softly as he put a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go."

"But she was my best friend, and now she's gone forever." he whispered quietly as he sat down, and let his head rest upon his knees then began to sob quietly. "It's not fair, she was so young. How can I just let her go?"

"You let her go with the promise of her return." A young boy wearing red armor said as he smiled warmly at his friend.

**End Dreamy Sequence**

"Chiclaria I will find you…no matter what it takes." He whispered softly as tears welled in his eyes and he clenched his fist in determination. As if to remind the boy of his mission, thunder crackled in the sky overhead. "The others…"

With the grace and agility of a cat, the blue haired boy swiftly leapt down to the ground and took in his surroundings; an endless corn field stretched out to his right, just to the right of the corn field lay a small pond, and a long black river ran just in front of both as green rolling hills playfully ran by the other side of the river. Then he saw a dark green orb laying just to the left of the pond and took off in its direction.

Rowen slowed his pace as he approached the orb and noticed that a soft forest green light emanated from it. Carefully he climbed up the rocky surface of the orb's shell and let himself slip over the side down into the interior. Inside sat Sage with his legs crossed over each other, his hands were clasped together, and he had his head bowed, lost deep in his thoughts.

"Hey Sage you doin' okay?" Rowen asked inquisitively as he gently shook the meditating blonde haired warrior. Slowly he opened his violet eyes and stared unblinking at the blue haired youth in front of him and gave a wry smile.

"Never better…" here Sage trailed off as he looked up at the dark midnight sky overhead. "I'm sorry if I was ignoring you before, it's just that I could hear her. She's close Rowen, I can feel it…"

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" the two looked at each other briefly before taking off in the direction of the scream that tore through the night sky.


	4. Questions Unanswered

Chapter 4: Questions Unanswered

The two boys didn't have very far to run as the pod where Cye lay was in the pond next to Sage's pod. As they approached the pod they could hear Cye murmuring softly.

"No…no don't leave me…I need you…please don't go. No……" inside the pod, they could see a pool of blood surrounding Cye and Kento kneeling by his friends side.

"Come on…snap out of it Cye! You're stronger than this!" Kento said firmly as held his friend's hand in his own and gently slapped Cye's face, which seemed to bring Cye back. For moments later, the young boy was slowly pulling himself into a sitting position and looking around at his surroundings.

"Cye are you okay? You had us worried there bud." Rowen said in concern as Sage and Kento looked on in worry.

"I'll be fine, however my own injuries are nothing compared to Chiclaria's." here he paused for a moment as he stared ahead silently before continuing. "The poor girl has been through a lot already; emotionally, physically, and mentally. Although I couldn't read her mind to see what happened to her, I could tell that she's barely hanging on right now. We must go to her and see what we can do."

"I agree." A voice behind them said. The four young warriors looked around for the source of the voice and saw Ryo standing against the interior wall of the pod.

"So what are we waiting for?" Rowen asked as he looked at his friends. "Let's go!"

***Back at the Hospital***

As the five young warriors made their way to the hospital, the young woman was facing her own trials and tribulations: like why was she so different looking from everyone else, the truth behind her past, and what name to go by in this strange new world.

"I like the name Clara."

"The name suites you perfectly." Kayla smiled as she recalled how the girl predicted the birth of triplets in Hallway B Room #345. "And for a middle and last name how does Ann and Rishii sound? Ann Rishii was the name of a kindly old nurse who used to work here."

"Clara Ann Rishii…" the girl silently mused to herself and smiled at the way it sounded. "I like that name."

"Then Clara Ann Rishii it is!" Kayla said enthusiastically as she jotted down the name on the girl's hospital chart. "Don't forget you have therapy at 2 p.m. in the afternoon."

"I won't. Oh, and Kayla be on the lookout for a bulky redhead wearing a yellow trench coat. He has a gun with him and will try to kill someone of great importance in Hallway D Room #546."

"I'll keep an eye out Clara, thank you."

***Later on that day***

**I can't stand to fly  
I'm not that naive  
I'm just out to find  
The better part of me **

In the therapy room, Clara stood in between the walking handrails and proudly took a few steps forward on her own. Then suddenly without warning her foot turned inwards and she lunged forward as she tried to step forward with her other foot.

**I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane  
More than some pretty face beside a train  
It's not easy to be me **

For a few moments she silently bit back the hot tears of frustration that threatened to spill forward from her eyes and pulled herself back up to her feet and took a few shaky steps forward.

_  
_**Wish that I could cry  
Fall upon my knees  
Find a way to lie  
About a home I'll never see   
It may sound absurd: but don't be naive  
Even Heroes have the right to bleed  
I may be disturbed: but won't you concede  
Even Heroes have the right to dream  
It's not easy to be me**

As she struggled to finish the journey to the other end without falling again, Clara couldn't help but wonder where she was from, why she looked so different compared to everyone else, who she was before she came here, and most importantly why she couldn't remember what happened before she came to this strange time._   
  
_**Up, up and away: away from me  
It's all right: You can all sleep sound tonight  
I'm not crazy: or anything:**

_*Let them say I'm crazy…they can think what they want! But the answers to these questions must be found so I can understand the purpose of my existence in this world.*   
  
_**I can't stand to fly  
I'm not that naive  
Men weren't meant to ride  
With clouds between their knees**

For now these answers would have to wait for someone else to find them for her, someone who knew her. _  
  
_**I'm only a man in a silly red sheet  
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street  
Only a man in a funny red sheet  
Looking for special things inside of me**

_*Maybe it's because I'm special that I don't know these things. Perhaps someday I will meet someone like me who can give me some answers to these questions. But until that person comes along I will be alone in this strange new world.*_

  
**It's not easy to be me.**

**-Authors Note: Superman is performed by Five for Fighting-**


	5. Confrontation

Chapter 5: Confrontation

After her therapy session was over with it was close to 3 p.m. and she needed to take her medicine so Clara decided to stop by the main desk to get her meds for the afternoon. Then it happened. As she stood at the counter, a man bumped into her. As he apologized to her, she turned to excuse him and stopped when she saw him face to face.

He was a tall pale skinned redhead wearing a bright sunshine yellow trench coat. And as he refastened his raincoat, she saw a gun hanging out of the coat's inner pocket. Noticing this, the man smiled nervously and took off for the D wing.

"Oh, no you don't!" she whispered fiercely between gritted teeth and took off in a different direction hoping to cut him off and eventually ended up in Room #546. "You're in danger here! You'd better hide." she shouted at the girl who was rewiring the room and shoved her into the closet. Just as soon as she did so, the redhead showed up waving his gun around like a madman.

"You! You will pay for this Phoenix!!" he shouted as he turned around and ran out of the hospital.

"Phoenix?" she mouthed in confusion before taking off after him. As soon as she left the hospital, she saw him making a mad dash for the subway station and ran her butt off and tackled the redheaded man. "All right what were you doing in there?!" she demanded as she sat on him and pulled him up by the collar of his coat and forced him to look into her eyes.

"Your world is going to end and there's nothing you can do about it, Phoenix!" the man snarled as he shoved her off of his body and stood up and punched her hard in the face. 

"Hey it's not polite to punch a woman buddy!" slowly she looked up to see a young man with blue hair wearing a strange dark blue armor and four other young men wearing similar armor standing behind him.

"Are you all right?" a young man with short wavy strawberry colored hair and light sky blue armor asked Clara as he tried to help her stand.

"Those who help the Phoenix will not live to tell the tale." The man said flatly as he pulled out his gun and shot the man twice, once in the shoulder then in the back.

"CYE!!! Oh you're gonna get it now!" yelled a short stocky Chinese boy with dark gray-blue hair and wore dark orange armor as he whipped out his tetsubo, twirled it above his head, and brought it down in front of him. "IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!"

As the wave of earth swept him off his feet, the redhead suddenly changed shape to a hideous giant dark gray bat with sharp drooling fangs, short razor sharp pointed claws, and black webbed wings. "I am Eris the messenger of Chaos. You will pay for helping the Phoenix!" he roared as he prepared to charge the young warriors.

"We'll see about that!" yelled a boy with blonde hair and violet eyes and wore dark green armor. 

"Here let me help you." Clara said as she gently removed the boy's helmet and stared in shock at the young face hidden beneath. Shin, is it really you? Have you really come back after all these years?

"You don't have to do this…" the young man said softly as she carefully examined his wounds.

"It's my duty to help those in need." Clara spoke softly as she placed her hand on his back and began to concentrate as, she felt a strange presence buried deep within herself began to take over, her hand glowed softly with a silver light and the wound healed itself. Then without even thinking twice about what happened, she gently pulled the boy's body up against her own, placed her hand on his shoulder, and healed the injured shoulder. 

"You will pay for hurting our friend evil demon! FLARE UP NOW!!" the boy in red armor yelled as he joined his katanas together and swung them down over his head and a beam of white light shot forth and impaled the demon, quickly destroying it.

"Are you all right miss?" the boy in dark green armor asked as he helped her to her feet.

"Yes, I am. Thank you for saving me."

"It's what we do. My name is Sage Date, Warrior of Wisdom and bearer of the Halo armor." The young man said as he extended his hand towards her and shook her hand.

"I am Rowen Hashiba, the Warrior of Life protected by the armor of Strata."

"My name is Kento Rei Faun and this lughead is Cye Mouri." The short Chinese boy said as he picked Cye up and slipped his arm around his back, supporting the strawberry haired warrior. "Justice gives my armor of Hardrock the will to keep fighting."

"I am Torrent…trust allows me to see what others cannot."

"And I am Ryo Sanada, the armor of Wildfire gives me the strength to fight for what is right."

"I…I feel faint…aaaaahh…" and with that Clara passed out in the middle of the platform.


	6. The Trouble with Triangles

Chapter 6: The Trouble with Triangles

"Clara are you okay? You just collapsed in the middle of the subway platform." Kayla said with worry thick in her voice.

** "**Yeah I'm fine, just a little tired that's all."

"Well that's good to hear just be careful the next time you tackle someone, your circuits were really knocked for a loop there." A girl standing by her said.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Clara I'd like you to meet Audrey Renee Tyson, she's the girl you saved yesterday." Kayla said as she pushed the girl closer to Clara's hospital bed.

"Oh, that, it was nothing. Forget it." Clara said as she blushed then quickly looked out the window.

"Well it's too late for that, I already added an enhancement to your cheek circuitry. Now you can access radio stations and communicate with me or anyone who carries this special walkie-talkie. It's my way of saying thank you." Audrey said as she bowed and handed Clara two silver boxes with gold antennae.

"Thank you, I don't know what to say…I will treasure this gift forever. Thank you Audrey."

"Just hold your hand against your cheek like this," here she acted like she was getting tired to show Clara how it worked, "and the communicator will activate and this box will allow you to browse radio channels if you want to listen to music and it's compatible with any handheld radio or walkman. And you don't have to worry about giving me one because I already have one of my own, it even has it's own special channel so common radio walkie talkie systems won't interfere with yours."

"Wow and here I thought putting together computers from spare parts was a talent." Kayla said her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Well I'd better get going. C-ya later!" Audrey said cheerfully as she skipped out the door and waved over her shoulder. 

"Bye Audrey! Thank you!" Clara called as she waved back. "She's a really nice girl, I'm glad I could help her."

"Clara someone's here to see you." One of the nurses said as she poked her head into the room.

"It's okay, send them in."

"Hey you doin' okay?" Cye asked as he came into the room carrying a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed floppy black cat. "We were really worried about you."

"I'm doing fine thank you. I just have no idea how it happened; it was like a part of me that had been dead and buried for years was suddenly freed and took over. I don't know how else to explain it." 

"Sometimes things happen that we cannot explain. Many times the reasons are unknown and will remain that way for a long time, once in a while the answers come to us but not until we're ready." Sage said as he gently put a hand on her shoulder. "The answers will come when you're ready Clara."

"What if they never come?" Clara asked as tears slowly started to well up in her eyes. "I came into this world alone; no family, no friends, no one to tell me why I'm here or why I'm so different. You have no idea what it's like to be a considered a freak, to have people stare at you and talk behind you're back."

"You're wrong Clara, I know how you feel because when I was younger I was a lot smarter than most other people my age. I had to put up with lots of teasing kids called me all sorts of terrible names." Rowen said gently as he wrapped an arm around Clara's back and sat down on the bed beside her. 

"Just look at me I'm half Japanese and half American and I have blonde hair and violet eyes, which makes me an abomination to the Japanese people. And my gaze frightens people so I have to wear my hair in front of one of my eyes. As if that wasn't bad enough my family dressed and raised me like a girl because I was often very sick as a child and it was believed that girls were healthier than boys. But I don't let this bother me because it's part of who I am." Sage said as he stood beside Rowen.

"Just hang in there girl." Kento said as he patted Clara on the back. "I know things aren't too groovy right now but one day you'll wake up to find out that your better qualities have caught up to your not so better qualities and people will treat you normally."

"Don't worry the answers will come to one day I'm sure of it." Ryo said as he left the room along with Rowen, Sage, and Kento. Cye however stayed behind for he had questions of his own.

"Cye your friends are waiting for you. Shouldn't you be leaving?" Clara asked as she noticed the strawberry haired young man had stayed behind.

"It's okay they'll find me later on tonight. Besides I wanted to thank you for saving my life. It's not that often that a pretty girl I've just saved ends up saving me." Cye said as he nervously ran a hand through his short wavy hair and blushed softly.

"Oh, it's no problem really. It's just part of who I am." Clara laughed nervously and smiled shyly. "And who knows, maybe someday the answers I'm searching for will come to me and maybe they won't. But thanks to you some of the answers are starting to come."

"Me? Why me?" Cye asked in surprise as he pointed to himself.

"Earlier when you were shot, I felt a part of myself be set free that I never knew about before and when I saw your face I just knew that I would be safe. Because I knew that if your friends were anything like you then I'd have nothing to fear." Clara said as she looked out the window and stared at the stars that were beginning to rise in the early night sky.

"Well I'm just glad you're okay. Hey look I've gotta go so I can take care of some things, but I'll come back to check on you tomorrow sometime and you can bet my friends will too. I'll see you later." He said softly as he gently kissed her on her mechanical like cheek and left the room.

Clara blushed a deep cherry red and gently touched her cheek and allowed it to rest in her hand as she slowly walked over to the window and began to sing:

**Somewhere out there  
Beneath the pale moonlight,  
Someone's thinking of me,  
And loving me tonight.**

_Rowen, thank you so much for your kind words today. You reminded me that everyone has hard times during their lives. How we choose to react is what sets us apart from those who would run away. I will run away from the hand destiny has dealt me and I will pray to God to keep me strong_

**Somewhere out there  
Someone's saying a prayer,  
That we'll find one another  
In that big somewhere out there.**

As Cye left the hospital and began the long walk home, he suddenly heard an angelic like voice singing a song that seemed to be meant for him alone and he smiled as he stared at the night sky.

**And even though I know how very far apart we are,  
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star.  
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,  
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky.**

Meanwhile as Rowen prepared his bed in the slums of the city, he paused for a moment and smiled as he thought of the beautiful yet troubled Clara and couldn't help but smile at how much she reminded him of Chiclaria. _Chiclaria, I failed you once but I will not fail you again. I will find you…wherever you are. _he thought as he stared at the night sky.

**Somewhere out there  
If love can see us through  
Then we'll be together   
Somewhere out there  
Out where dreams come true.**

"Someday the answers will come to me…but not yet. Not yet…" Clara sighed as she stared at the night sky. As she turned away from the window to start getting ready for bed, nothing could've prepared her for what she saw next.

**-Authors Note: Somewhere Out There is performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram-**


	7. The Legend of the Fallen Angel

Chapter 7: The Legend of the Fallen Angel

Cheers and applause met the confused girl as she turned away from the window and saw all the men from her hallway standing in her door along with Audrey and Kayla. 

"That was absolutely beautiful." Blubbered a patient with a flaming dragon tattoo wrapped around his arm, with a baldhead, and a mustache and goatee on his face.

"It reminded me of my mother." Another said as he wiped the tears away from his eyes.

"I wish I could hear beautiful singing like that every day." Said still another misty-eyed patient.

"Okay guys it's time for bed!" laughed one of the nurses as she corralled the patients back to their own room.

"I'm so sorry Clara I just happened to hear you singing on the communicator and I just had to share it with everyone else." Audrey said laughing as Kayla came over, wrapped an arm around her friend and sat down on the bed with her.

"So who did we meet today?" Kayla asked nonchalantly.

"A boy…actually two." here Kayla and Audrey gasped and urged her to go on, "You remember the boys who saved me earlier today? Well I really like Rowen because he reminds me that everyone has difficulties in life, but at the same time I also like Cye because he reminds me of Shin." Here she smiled and blushed as she fondly thought of the two young men. "Oh what should I do?"

"Well you're going to have to make a choice between the two of them." Audrey said as she sat down on Clara's other side.

"If you ask me," Kayla said as she crossed her arms in thought, "it sounds like you like Rowen and want to pursue him further where as with Cye you seem to think of him as a dear friend." 

"Well I think Clara should go for Cye, it sounds like he's a cutie and a real sweetheart.

Meanwhile back in downtown Kokomo the boys were having a secret midnight meeting.

"Just who is Clara Ann Rishii anyway?" Sage mused to himself as Rowen sat with his back to the group, watching the stars.

"She's not the Chiclaria I knew. The old Chiclaria never had any trouble accepting what she was." Rowen said sullenly.

"But the Chiclaria we knew never had to deal with such problems as Clara has." Ryo said defensively as Cye came into the apartment unnoticed.

"If you ask me I think Clara has more problems than we know of." Cye said sadly as he set his duffel bag down on the twin bed. "I feel sorry for the poor girl, she's been through so much already. I know it may be hard to believe but deep down she is still Chiclaria, Clara just doesn't know it yet."

"That's right!" Kento chimed in eagerly, "She deserves more credit than we're giving her right now I'll tell you that much. She deserves to have friends like us to help her through these dark times."

"Uhh…Clara's in trouble…hospital." Cye murmured softly as a sudden tremendous pain shot through him and he saw a monster, like the one from earlier that day, preparing to attack Clara and he fell to his knees.

"Cye, are you all right?" Sage asked as he went to his friend's side.

"I'll be fine," he whispered softly as he struggled to remain standing, "just help Clara."

"I'll stay with Cye," Kento volunteered as he stepped forward and the rest of the boys powered up into their armors and got ready to leave, "we'll catch up shortly." 

Back at the hospital, Clara was having a bad dream: 

**"The sea is so beautiful Shin look." The sky blue haired little girl said as she looked at the ever-peaceful sea.**

**"Yeah I see. Oh look over there, there's a dolphin." The strawberry haired blonde said cheerfully as he pointed to a dolphin leaping through the air. "Some people believe that dolphins are actually smarter people."**

**Suddenly out of the blue, a huge wave rushed at the boat washing the little girl overboard. The girl tried to swim back to the boat but the wave only carried her further out to sea.**

**"Claria no!! Come back!" the little boy cried as he tried to go after his twin to be held back by his mother and father.**

"No…Shin no!!" thunder boomed next to Clara's window as she sat up panting for breath. "It was only a dream," she said softly to herself as she got up to get a glass of ice water, "or was it? Could it be a memory? It was so real it had to be a memory." 

Carefully she checked her face for any infections and satisfied with what she saw turned around to shuffle across the room to her bed when she heard something run by. Quickly she found the light switch and turned the lights on then wished she hadn't. A black panther stood before her, growling softly as it paced back and forth.

"Nice kitty." She said as she held out her hand towards the panther's wet silky nose. "I won't hurt you." 

Slowly the panther inched closer to her until she could feel it's hot warm breath against her hand and did something that took her by surprise.

It licked her hand and began speaking as Ryo, Sage, and Rowen burst into her room.

"My name is Tiakall and Clara Ann Rishii surely by now you are different from other people, special. You spend your days and nights trying to figure that you already know; you are the one meant to help save this world from the darkness that now threatens." Here it paused briefly as Cye, Kento, and Kayla breathlessly appeared in her door then turned it's crystal blue eyes back towards Clara's silver ones. 

"I…I don't understand. Why me?" she asked wide-eyed as she gestured to the boys than to herself. "They're the heroes not me, I'm just a lowly android. I'm not special."

"Oh, but you are special!" Tiakall growled softly as she nuzzled Clara's hand and purred softly. "You are one of the few surviving members of the Sacred Guardians; a beautiful and yet powerful race of angelic like beings chosen to guard the universe." As the panther spoke, the room around them disappeared and they found themselves in deep outer space;

"The Sacred Guardians came into existence 5 million years ago when the galaxies were brand new and helpless. They were a proud solemn race that watched over the galaxies and protected them from invasion. Then 1 million years after their creation, all the males suddenly became very sick and died leaving the women alone by themselves. It was a difficult time for them as they had to evolve to be able to produce a daughter every hundred years, but all was not well. For a similar sickness plagued the woman as well and most became sterile before they died and their children were stillborn. It seemed all hope was lost as one by one the proud race fell ever closer to extinction, but there was still hope. For the oldest guardian had somehow been unaffected by the mysterious illness, and managed to give birth to her last daughter. As her daughter hovered next to her mother shivering for warmth and comfort and still just a star, her dying mother called for help, "Please male guardians hear me wherever you are. If any are still alive, send to me your youngest and bravest warriors so that they may guard our last daughter." And she waited…and waited…and waited…but none came. As if aware of the grave situation at hand, the young star trembled and began to cry softly when suddenly a voice was heard "Please don't cry little one. I'm the 'Guardian of Wildfire' sent here to protect you. I will always be at your side." The eldest guardian smiled in relief, one guardian was better than none. But what was this? Another star was slowly approaching them; this one was a bright green and pulsed with a gentle rhythm that calmed the crying young star. "I am the 'Guardian of Halo sent from the nearest sun to protect you. I'll always be at your side young one." Two guardians were better than one and far better than none. Would any more come? Only time would tell, so they waited and waited and waited some more. Then suddenly not one but two stars, one a brilliant sea blue and one a deep orange, suddenly darted through the heavens toward them, playfully chasing each other and both were unaware of the others until the dark orange star bumped into the new young star who'd just settled down to sleep. "Look at what you just did! You just woke her up!! You should be ashamed of yourself!" the ocean blue star scolded the orange star, which hung just behind it, sulking. "I'm so sorry about that, please forgive my friend Hardrock. He's always been this way. I am the 'Guardian of Torrent' and my friend here is the 'Guardian of Hardrock'." "Uh, sorry about bumping into you. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." The young star said nothing in return, but blushed and smiled shyly as they waited for the next guardian to arrive. So they waited…and waited…and waited…and waited…and waited…but none came. The eldest guardian was preparing to send them off when suddenly a dark blue orb darted towards them and bowed before the queen, "I'm sorry I'm late. I just got here and I'm the last one to come. Because I hail from the farthest edge of our galaxy they call me the 'Guardian of Strata'. I'm here for you starlet." Then for the first time, the young princess of the guardians spoke softly and pulsed with a silver light, "Thank you for coming to protect me Wildfire, Halo, Torrent, Hardrock, and Strata." Then the queen looked at the six nestled together and smiled warmly, "Now my children the time has come for you to be sent to Earth, our most precious planet to guard the last princess of the guardians. You will find that the people on earth fight with and hurt each other without reason. It is your duty as princess to deliver the message of peace, hope, and love to them and help heal the wounds in their land. I love you all, farewell." And with that the queen of the guardians died as she sent her children off into the world."

As Tiakall finished speaking, the stars and galaxy surrounding them disappeared as the room slowly came back into view and everyone stood there in a daze 

"So what ever happened to the princess and her guardians?" Kento asked innocently as Cye whacked him on the head. "OW!! What was that for?!"

"Weren't you paying attention to anything Tiakall just said? I'm sorry you'll have to forgive my friend here, he's an idiot." Cye said as Kento grabbed him in a headlock and rubbed his head playfully.

"Wait so let me get this straight, I'm the last princess of the Sacred Guardians?" Clara said as she paced back and forth across the room.

"Exactly." Tiakall said with a firm nod.

"No way! I'm sorry but you've got the wrong girl. I am not a princess." Clara insisted as Tiakall approached her once more.

"But you are, and here is the locket that was to be given to you when the time was right." Tiakall said softly as a necklace appeared in the panther's jaw. 

Slowly, Clara reached out and touched it and as she did so lettering and kanji suddenly appeared on the locket as well as her forehead. As she looked at her reflection trying to figure out what it said, she suddenly remembered the necklace and looked at it. It was a simple gold star, which hung on a thin silver chain, with kanji that read:

_Hope_


	8. Ikenie

Chapter 8: Ikenie

"I need to sit down." Clara said as she let herself sit down heavily on the edge of her bed as a concerned Cye sat down by her side to keep her from falling off the bed. It was then the others noticed that the kanji engraved on the necklace also lit up on her forehead with a bright silver light that made Clara look deadly pale in comparison.

"What is that?" Kayla asked as she reached forward and gently touched the kanji and immediately pulled her hand back, "Ow! It's hot!! I just burned hand."

"What you see now is Clara's birthmark and guiding virtue. How ironic it is that the Phoenix's symbol is kibou – hope and that you are the only hope for your people." Tiakall said calmly as she turned to face the group and sat down.

"What do you mean only?" Rowen asked with some scrutiny in his voice.

"There are others like her. At the time when Chiclaria was sent to earth, it was believed that she was the last surviving guardian. However as fate would have it, a few new guardians were born shortly after the princess and her court were sent to earth. Kayla Rodchester, being guarded by the virtue of friendship, is one of them. But I cannot stay here for much longer, lest I endanger your existence."

"It's too late for that." Growled a low sinister voice as a huge cat like being with wings stepped out of the shadows. "I am Discord, messenger of the great Lord Chaos. My master has sent me here with a message."

The guys quickly stepped in front of Clara, protecting her as Clara spoke calmly, "Very well, I'm listening."

"Since the recent death of our king, our world has been thrown into chaos."

"Liar!" Rowen shot venomously, "Your world is always in chaos."

"Our world is in chaos and Lord Chaos was hoping that a temporary conquest of earth would bring peace to his people."

"Tell Lord Chaos that I deeply regret that I must refuse his offer. I could never allow earth to be taken over like that." Clara said in a firm even tone.

"Before I go, my lord offers a gift in the case that this would happen." As Discord spoke, a huge dagger appeared behind Clara. 

"Clara look out!!" Rowen yelled as he leapt in its path and knocked Clara out of harm's way.

"No Rowen!" Clara cried out as Rowen's body fell to the floor and held his hand. "Rowen why would you do such a thing?" she asked in a shaky voice as tears streamed down her face and Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento transformed and began launching attacks.

"It is my sworn duty to protect the woman I love. Even at the cost of my own life…" Rowen said in a pained voice. "I love you Clara…remember that…" here his voice trailed off as his grip on her hand loosened and his hand fell to the floor.

"Rowen don't leave me!" Clara cried as she began sobbing hysterically. "I…I love you." She whispered softly, then slowly turned around and stood up to face Discord. "You killed him…you will pay. Here is my gift!" she cried as she threw her hand out in front of her and a silver energy beam shot out and hit the demon just above his heart.

"You missed." Discord hissed with a smirk.

"I meant to. Now go tell my message to your master." Here she held her hand up and threw an enormous energy beam towards the sky. "Now STEP OFF!!" she screamed as Discord hastily made his retreat out the window.


	9. Clara's Decision

Chapter 9: Clara's Decision

"Rowen can you hear me?" Sage asked calmly as he put his ear to Rowen's chest and listened for a heartbeat. Dissatisfied with the result, he put his fingers on his wrist, "I've got a pulse, he's still alive but he's just barely hanging on to life."

"He's our friend! Can nothing be done to save him?" Cye cried out passionately as Clara watched him from behind.

Cye…Rowen… I never realized how much you cared for me until now. she thought to herself as she watched the others caring for each other's wounds.

"There is a way…" Sage said with some hesitation in his voice.

"Well tell us already!" Ryo said.

"Yeah come on, tell us! You know I can't handle the stress." Kento complained.

"The only way to save his life is for each of us to donate a little bit of our own life energy to Rowen. If we do that, I'm fairly sure he'll pull through." Sage said as he looked around at every one in the room.

"Let me help too." Clara said softly as the others stared at her in disbelief.

"Clara you shouldn't use any more energy than you already have to." Cye said with great concern.

"Please don't treat me like I'm a child." She said as she brushed Cye's hand off her shoulder. "I want to help, please. I couldn't bear it if he died and I could've made a difference. Please…"

"All right she can help," Sage said after a moment's deliberation, "but only when we tell you."

And so on the count of three, they all donated their energy to Rowen. Virtue, Wisdom, Trust, and Justice…Sage nodded his head as Clara took hold of Rowen's hand. She gasped in surprise as her hand began to glow with a silver light but quickly got over it as soon as she saw Rowen's kanji slowly appear on his forehead.

"That's all we can do for now." Sage said solemnly as Kayla ushered them into the hallway for the night.

**The Next Day **

"What were you thinking?" Rowen asked Clara as they sat on the roof of the hospital watching the sunset. "You know you can't just attack demons like you did last night."

"And what would you want me to do? Just stand there and watch me friends die?!" Clara shrieked in exasperation. "I can't do that! You're my friends and I care deeply for each and every one of you. What kind of princess would I be if I abandoned my friends and ran away from every enemy that stood in my path? Never mind, just go back inside."

"Clara I…" Rowen started, hurt by her words.

"JUST GO!!"

"Mind if I sit down?" Cye asked as he slowly sat down by Clara. "You know he's just trying to protect you."

"Well he's pissing me off." Clara said flatly as she stared straight ahead at the setting sun. "I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."

"He just doesn't know how else to protect you, Clara." Cye said consolingly as he put his arm around Clara's shoulder. "Poor Rowen has been through so much, Chiclaria died in his arms because she was trying to protect him. She was trying to protect us but she wasn't ready for the stress it put on her body, her heart couldn't take it. For him this is like watching Chiclaria as she matured as a magical being and not knowing whether or not she'll live or die this time. I know this a hard time for both of you, but if you truly love each other you'll find a way to work through your problems."

Later on in the day, they met at the guy's apartment for a little get together and as the group partied, Clara made her way onto the stage and made an announcement:

"Excuse me. Is this thing on? Ok, well as you know I called you all together to give you an important announcement concerning my future. It's not easy for me to say this but, I'm moving tonight. I just need some time alone to figure things out and decide if I'm really ready for such a burden as protector of the world. Please don't try to find me, because you won't. I'll find you when I'm ready, I promise. I dedicate this song to you my friends."

**Every now and then we find a special friend****Who never lets us down****Who understands it all****Reaches out each time you fall****You're the best friend that I've found****I know you can't stay****But part of you will never ever go away****Your heart will stay** She's leaving. Ryo thought in disbelief as he watched Clara singing on the makeshift stage. But she's right, she needs to do this. **I'll make a wish for you****And hope it will come true****That life will just be kind****To such a gentle mind****If you lose your way****Think back on yesterday****Remember me this way****Remember me this way** I'll miss you greatly Clara. Sage thought quietly as he watched the young woman on the stage singing. But I understand why you need to do this. **I don't need eyes to see****The love you bring to me****No matter where I go****And I know that you'll be there****For ever more a part of me you're everywhere****I'll always care** I wish I could protect you. Cye thought sadly as he watched Clara singing. But I believe you're ready.**I'll make a wish for you****And hope it will come true****That life will just be kind****To such a gentle mind****If you lose your way****Think back on yesterday****Remember me this way****Remember me this way** Man I can't believe she's leaving and just when I was starting to like her. Kento thought sullenly not even noticing the gurgling sounds of his stomach. **And I'll be right behind your shoulder watching you****I'll be standing by your side in all you do****And I won't ever leave as long as you believe****You just believe...**I can't believe you're leaving me Rowen thought in despair as he watched Clara singing and started to feel sick to his stomach. Was it something I did? Did I drive you to this? **I'll make a wish for you****And hope it will come true****That life will just be kind****To such a gentle mind****And if you lose your way****Think back on yesterday****Remember me this way****Remember me this way**

As soon as the song finished, the lights went out and Clara picked up her bags and left, not even stopping to say goodbye.

**-Author's Note: Remember Me This Way is performed by Jordan Hill-**


	10. Sono Higeki no Hogosha Samurai

Chapter 10: Sono Higeki no Hogosha Samurai

(The Tragedy of the Guardian Samurai)

            _My friends forgive me, but I've got to do this. I need time alone to sort things out_ Clara thought as she ran through the pouring rain, not even stopping to look back. Suddenly, her foot slipped and she fell down on her face and began sobbing hysterically.

            "Is something wrong?" spoke a soft voice beside her and slowly she looked up to see Cye standing next to her as well as Ryo, Sage, Kento and Rowen.

            "I thought you had a train to catch." Rowen said teasingly as he helped pull her to her feet. "Sage what is it?" he asked as the blonde stared off into space.

            "Clara look out!" Sage cried as he shoved her out of the path of an oncoming energy blast and took the blast that was meant for her.

            "I've come for my revenge Guardian Samurai." Discord said in a low threatening voice as the others stepped protectively in front of Clara and powered up.

            "You will never have Clara or this world for your own demon!" Rowen yelled as he sent his arrow shockwave at the cat-like creature and jumped to avoid an oncoming attack.

            "You'll see!" Discord shrieked as hordes of demon warriors began attacking them.

            Clara could only watch in horror as her friends repeatedly rose and fell with the onslaught of their attackers. Then one of the soldiers came at her with a sword, ready to run her through when Rowen covered her with his body at the last minute taking the hit that was meant for her.

            "Oh, Rowen! Why…why did you do such a thing?" she sobbed as she held Rowen's body close to hers and cradled him like a small child.

            "Because, I love you. And I couldn't bear to watch you die, not when I could've done something to save you." Rowen said softly as he slowly reached up and brushed the tears away from her face. "It's now up to Cye to protect you, love him as you once loved me." Here he fell silent and said no more.

            "ROWEN!!!" Clara sobbed in anguish as she hugged his lifeless body to her own. "That's it!! I can't stand any more of this! I'm the one you want!" she screamed loudly into the air, "Fight me!"

            "CLARA NO!!" the others cried a Clara's body glowed with a silver light and slowly began walking toward Discord.

            "STAY OUT OF THIS!! This is no longer your fight anymore!" she yelled at the top of her voice as the boys stared at her in wonder, clearly this was a side of Clara they'd never seen before and they didn't dare interfere. "You killed my friend Discord! You will pay for that with your life!"

            "I don't think so…" the demon softly chuckled as he reached out and touched her forehead. "Clara Ann Rishii from this point on whenever you use your powers so shall you be as the mountains of stone. Goodbye Guardian Samurai!" and as he finished speaking, he caught the five young warriors up in a bubble that rose into the air and exploded, cackling madly as he disappeared into the night sky.

            "No Ryo, Sage, Cye, Kento, Rowen…don't go, I need you…" she whispered as she fell to her knees and hot tears of silent rage and grief fell down her cheeks as Kayla came running up behind her.

            "What happened? Where are the guys?" she panted, out of breath, then fell silent as she noticed her friend's sobbing.

            "I don't know…but I will find you. Wherever you are…" she vowed as she watched the stars come out in silence.  


End file.
